Envy
Fanfiction by *Ivy 21:04, January 23, 2011 (UTC). Parallel story to Leaving the Plains. Mature content. Very mature. Plot Summary Ivypaw's just become an apprentice. Normal. But the lazy, older she-cats are bitter when Ivypaw works harder than them. She gets the attention of impressed toms. So, naturally, the resentful apprentices become she-cats. Nasty, nasty she-cats. And, nasty, nasty, NASTY toms. “Jealousy is all the fun you think they had.”, Erica Jong Characters Valleyclan Leader: Mangostar- pale ginger tom with yellow eyes Deputy: Tigerpetal- pale, mousey brown she-cat with black stripes and green eyes Medicine Cat: Auburntail-white tom with dark russet ears and tail Warriors Leapfrost- longlegged pale gray tom Stonetalon- dark gray tom with amber eyes and white paws Patchlily- calico she-cat with green eyes Apprentice, Brindlepaw Rainbowfur- tortoiseshell she-cat, one green eye, one blue eye, tuxedo Apprentice, Peachpaw Pantherflank- handsome black tom with amber eyes Apprentice, Ivypaw Spiderfoot, dark brown tabby tom with black paws and dark gray eyes Apprentice, Snowpaw Chapter One Mousedung! Ivykit didn't think that the snow would be so... cold. Sticking her tongue out, the she-kit curiously waited for a flake to fall on her tongue. It didn't. She waited for a long time. "Ivykit! What are you doing out in the cold like that?" Ivykit let her tongue slide into her mouth- just as a snowflake passed her muzzle- and was nearly touching noses with her mother. Goldenface lived up to her name. The sea of yellow fur was only disrupted by the two gray eyes that Ivykit and Brindlekit both inherited. And, right now, they were alight with anger. "Well, answer me!" Opening her jaw, Ivykit then realized that she wasn't going to be allowed an explanation. Goldenface's lecture-mode had begun. "You know that your ceremony is today, and THAT'S cold enough! If you don't be more considerate to catching greencough, that's enough to signify a horrible warrior. And, I cannot BELIEVE you! What if Brindlekit and I catch your cold? That's highly unfair! You are so selfish. You may ruin HIS ceremony! It isn't all about yourself, Ivykit. Honestly, I'm ready to march up to Mangostar and wait until new leaf for you to be apprenticed, if this is how you're going to behave!" A moon ago, Ivykit would begin to whine and beg for forgiveness. But now, the 6-moon-old kit had gotten used to Goldenface's threats. This was the way she was taught to discipline kits, and it wasn't affective. Well, to Ivykit, anyway, Brindlekit still sank to his knees when he was told off. "I'm sorry, mother," Ivykit mewed sincerely, nevertheless. "I will try to be more thoughtful with my actions." Narrowing her eyes, Goldenface muttered something like, "Don't give me that mousedung," and stalked into the nursery. Ivykit flicked her ears and followed her. Inside, the nursery didn't do a lot of shelter the remaining kits and queen from the horrid weather. According to Goldenface, anyway, when she was complaining about the "fox-sized gaps in the walls". Ivykit couldn't see any. But she was content and didn't want to start anything else, so the kit just curled next to her sleeping brother and joined him. It wasn't long until sunhigh hit. The light seeped through the nursery walls (but Ivykit doubted that the gaps could fit anything bigger than sunlight). Her gaze becoming a mass of red, Ivykit blinked sleep out of her eyes and squeezed them shut as she yawned. Her mouth closed on Brindlekit's tail, which he was swishing around due to restlessness. Surprised was what Ivykit was. Brindlekit woke up screaming bloody murder. "The monster got my tail! My tail's going to fall off! I'M GOING TO DIE!" Later, Ivykit found herself in the medicine cats den while Brindlekit slumbered in the nursery. Goldenface was cooing him. When she finished, she could come to scold Ivykit for "hurting her brother". Ivykit stared at the ground of the medicine cats den. She counted the cracks of the smooth stone floor, freezing from all the snow. As she tried to move her paws, she found that her pads were stuck. You only become an apprentice once. Chapter Two Ivykit was still jittery with relief. She was going to be an apprentice with Brindlekit! Well, Brindlepaw, now. It was her turn. As Mangostar called her up, Ivykit beamed at him for somehow convincing Goldenface that she deserved to be an apprentice. Brindlepaw surely didn't mind. He already forgot about the incident, even though it occurred so soon ago. "Ivykit, y''ou'' have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Ivypaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior. Your mentor shall be Pantherflank." Ivypaw looked curiously for "Pantherflank". Goldenface had kept her in the nursery always, so she didn't know many of the warriors. She met the eyes of a muscular black tom with gleaming amber eyes, seeming to weigh her up. Ivypaw stared back evenly. The tom then nodded, with the faintest hint of a smile. "Pantherflank, you have known courage and jealousy. May you pass your wisdom to Ivypaw." There was a bit of silence as the clan took in Mangostar's words, then they immediately exploded into cheering Ivypaw's new name. Tilting her head, she gazed at Mangostar. Jealousy? Was he trying to imply something? Brindlepaw's mentor, Patchlily, was called "sophisticated and bright". She could understand why he would choose that, but jealousy? Ivypaw's mind whizzed a little. The only cat she was jealous of was Brindlepaw, for having a normal mentor. But Pantherflank looked very nice. He warmed up as he walked up to her and touched noses. She licked her shoulder, still deep in thought. When the crowd scattered, Ivypaw looked at Pantherflank expectantly. But he had his eyes on Hillflower. "Oh, I'll see you later. Go socialize with the other apprentices or something." A bit disgruntled, Ivypaw did so obediently. Chapter Three Ivypaw didn't know what to do. The den, emtpy, smelled of warmness and that of the such. Moss lay in distinctive circles: where the cats curled up every night. It was pretty hard to spot a place to stay herself, as, by the count of dens, were were 9 apprentices. Now that she thought about it, she recognized the scents! Blossompaw... Stormpaw... Branchpaw.... Meadowpaw... Jaypaw. Ivypaw smiled as she remembered her kidhood friends. She wondered if things would be the same, if she was as busy as them. Would they laugh at the same jokes? Would they do the same stupid things? Deciding to do something useful, Ivypaw walked out to collect some moss. Suddenly- wham! A cat totally bowled her over. There was a screech. There was claws. There was blood. There was pain. Ivypaw, of course, didn't unsheath her claws. Oh, no, she was too timid to do that. It was better to just stay submissive and wait for the other cat to calm down and take the fault. If she fought back, then she'd be of equal blame for the scolding that was certain to come from Mangostar. Rolling on her paws instinctively, Ivypaw got off of her back to see an older, reddish-cream she-cat glaring at her from the ground. The cat's fur was dirty with a spurt of Ivypaw's blood and dirt mixing in the red liquid, turning into mud. "Look what you did!" she spat. "You got my pelt dirty! And I was supposed to meet Jaypaw in the den." Indignity sparking a little amusement in Ivypaw's stomach, she mewed, "Keep your fur on. He's not in there yet." 'Keep your fur on' made the she-cat even more angry. "How would you know, you insolent kit? You're not an apprentice. You're not allowed to be in the den." The cat said some words with deliberance, accenting them to insinuate annoyance from Ivypaw. And, believe Ivypaw, this cat was very good at doing so. Ivypaw had to fight herself to keep her lips un-curled. She didn't want enemies, no matter how rude the she-cat was being. Besides, she could relate. Any cat would want to look their best when meeting with the handsome Jaypaw. "Excuse me, but I'm Ivypaw. I'm new." Sneering, the she-cat rolled her eyes. "Great. That's what we need. Another idiot, being a mousebrain on her first day." Before Ivypaw could say something, she got up and left for the den, rushing to lick her fur and run at the same time. She was obviously in a hurry. Ivypaw was left, disgruntled and wondering- and hoping- that the rest of the cats would be more friendly. Or, at least, that she would be accepted into the group of old, harsh apprentices. Course, she should have been kidding herself. Lying, for all that mattered in the future. Before Ivypaw knew it, she was accepted. But in a way that she thought wasn't possible- and not how she'd like, even considering the consequences. Chapter Four Ivypaw learned that her name was Peachpaw. It was perfectly suited, with a pelt like that, but Ivypaw thought that perhaps she could have a more... tangy name. Like Lemonpaw. Or Thornpaw. Or Deathberrypaw. Yeah. But however nasty Peachpaw could be, she couldn't judge. Literally. If she ever said a word about Peachpaw that wasn't fully rehearsed (and made by Peachpaw), then the queen would most likely create a rumor that would ruin her life. She already did it before. Snowpaw was the living proof. It wasn't long before Ivypaw learned the extensions at which Peachpaw's powers reached. One day, the pompous she-cat returned from a sun-high patrol. Extremely normal. But when Ivypaw noticed Peachpaw lay here eyes on the clearing- Ivypaw knew that it was time to cover. Blossompaw was chatting with Jaypaw, laughing. He then licked her ear when he spotted the fur stick up. Wrong move, Ivypaw had thought, wincing. The rest of it was ugly. Peachpaw marched right up there and simpered. Her smile may have been the face of a fast-moving a twoleg monster. In Blossompaw's direction. Ivypaw, quietly eating a shrew behind a bush, heard it all. "Jaypaw! I'm back from the patrol. I caught a nice, tasty vole. Would you care to have some with me~? Perhaps Snowpaw and Ivypaw could join us." Ivypaw was surprised to hear her name. Peachpaw hated her guts! Then again, mentioning the names of Blossompaw's closest friend would let her feel so left out. Shaking her head, Ivypaw was shocked at the sickness. She knew that Blossompaw was highly emotional. If she had one thought about being not cool, she'd cry herself to sleep. But, thank god, Jaypaw let Ivypaw lessen the claws that she was digging into the earth. "No, it's alright. I'd like to spend some time with you," he mewed smoothly. Ivypaw could hear the scraping of rock as he got up. "See you later, Blossompaw!" That comment was enough to make Ivypaw laugh and for Peachpaw to, supposedly, seethe. Blossompaw wouldn't hurt herself tonight. No, thanks to Jaypaw. From then on, Ivypaw harbored respect for the tom. They hadn't been talking since kithood was over, and she thought that he had changed to Peachpaw's counterpart. But, no, he was still the same. Then why couldn't Ivypaw bring herself to talk to him? "Ivypaw? Ivypaw!" The silver pointed tabby looked up to see a cute brown tabby face looking at her. She hurriedly hastened herself up from her small nap. "Hey, Branchpaw." Her friend smiled. "You can't sleep for that long, Lard-butt, we've got a border patrol. It's evening, remember?" Twitching an ear, Ivypaw suddenly noticed the absence of the sunlight on her fur, dappling it when she dozed in the woodland. "Oops," Ivypaw sighed. They started to walk. "Did Leapfrost notice?" The pale, longlegged tom was not to be taken granted for. He was known to have been in the great war of Ledgeclan and Shoneclan, siding with Shoneclan. Toughened and strict, any paw out of line would probably result in it being cut off. "Not yet, we're still pretty early." "Good," mewed Ivypaw with reverence. "I'd like to keep all my paws, thanks." Branchpaw looked at her from the corner of his clear amber eyes. Whether they were curious or amused, she did not know. She could not tell. Chapter Five By this time of day, Ivypaw would be bone-dry and puffed up, like the rest of the clan. Leaf-bare wasn't so good for Valleyclan's climate, the moisture floating up to the forest. So, she was either drenched, or a fur-ball. But, right now, Ivypaw was just plain tired. Pantherflank had decided to start their first lesson after being in the medicine cat den for a quarter moon. She had been training with Branchpaw's mentor,